Even if you have never been to a modern African safari camp, you probably know what one looks like. Most are built on wooden platforms with the skeletal outline of a gabled roof. They generally have a white canvas ceiling and walls. In addition, there is mosquito netting and simple, wooden furniture. And, spacious views of wild landscapes that are one pull of a curtain away from your bed.

But couldn't this type of accommodation work in other wild places, too? A conservation organization and a local inn decided to find out in Portugal. It is at the Faia Brava Wildlife Reserve. The result is called Star Camp. It is an experiment in ecotourism that represents a first for Europe.

"You have the landscape of Coa valley on the front of the tent," Sara Nara, owner of Star Camp, tells Smithsonian.com. "You can open up the tent to see it better. You have all the things of a proper bed and breakfast in the wild."

The Faia Brava reserve is part of a new series of experiments in Europe. These create wild places based on a philosophy similar to that of Yellowstone National Park in the United States. Yellowstone has reintroduced species like wolves and free-roaming bison in a bid to restore its ecosystem. Traditionally, European wildlife habitats in parks and preserves are intensively managed. But Rewilding Europe, a nonprofit conservation organization, thinks that should change. It has brought together a coalition of smaller nonprofits to steer Europe's wild places towards a hands-off approach. They focus on restoring the native species that can make ecosystems function on their own.

"In the past, it was always the theory of putting up a fence and managing the processes ourselves," says Simon Collier. He is Wildlife Tourism Manager at Rewilding Europe. He spoke to Smithsonian.com. "But rewilding is challenging that idea. These species can live harmoniously together. And you don't have to manage the land as intensively as we had thought."

Faia Brava was farmland 30 years ago. But globalization has forced farmers from all around Europe to compete with each other. The dry, rocky soil makes it difficult to produce many crops at competitive prices. Rewilding Europe is taking over large tracts of former farmland that isn't well suited to modern factory farming. Rewilding Europe wants to restore it to something resembling the landscape before Europe's agricultural revolution.

Waking up in Star Camp, visitors may open their tents to see a pristine landscape. The land is gradually bearing more of a resemblance to the Portugal of the past.

"No telephone lines or radio towers in the distance," says Collier. "Nice gentle, rolling hills. The sunrise in the morning is exactly the same. It provides you with a sense of adventure. And a feeling like you are in Africa."

The idea for Star Camp "came out of the ecotourism models in South Africa where there was a focus on ecotourism," says Collier. "Building just a guest house wouldn't have been good enough." In the project's early days, he says, the site was selected with careful attention to factors like its natural light, and acoustic atmosphere and sights.

Some of those sights now include animals. They are part of a de-extinction program. Though they've long been extinct, aurochs (pronounced like aur-ox) once occupied an ecological niche analogous to the bison in North America or the cape buffalo in Africa. To get Europe's ecosystems functioning again, The Tauros Project began recreating the aurochs. How are they doing this? They selectively cross-breed primitive breeds of cattle. It's now gradually working to bring back the aurochs. The large bovids grazing on Faia Brava are part of the project.

Visitors can also spot wild-ranging Garrano horses. They graze with the aurochs-in-progress. Garranos are a breed of domestic horse indigenous to the region. Garranos are believed to include a high proportion of genes from wild ancestors that roamed Portugal thousands of years ago. Nearby rock paintings, over 2,500 years old, show ancient horses. They look strikingly similar to the Garranos that graze the landscape.

But horses and bovids aren't Faia Brava's only draw. One of the reserve's most popular attractions is a blind that has been constructed in front of a feeding area for Egyptian vultures, griffin vultures and black vultures. The carcasses of deceased donkeys, horses and other livestock are brought here to attract the birds, many of which move between North Africa and Portugal. Birdwatchers and professional photographers have praised it as an unusual opportunity to see these scavengers up close.

Hiking trails offer other opportunities to take in the local sights. Collier tells Smithsonian.com that Star Camp regularly partners with local businesses on "very high-level dining experiences - an African idea of a bush dinner."

Star Camp's current platform tents are set up to accommodate couples (perhaps with one small child). A larger, family-sized platform tent is expected to be ready for guests by July of 2017. Collier calls it "effectively sleeping under the stars with lots of creature comforts."

If things go according to plan, Faia Brava will one day become part of a network of wildlife reserves. They are being built throughout Europe. Numerous small reserves are being set aside as land becomes available. Safe corridors are planned to eventually connect the properties and allow wildlife to safely migrate as needed. Much like Yellowstone in North America and the parks of South Africa and Namibia, ecologically sensitive tourism is a key component of Rewilding Europe's long-term plans.

Europe has limited wild places because they have farmland and that farmland is becoming dry. Which is why they are using Faia Brava to make a preserve because it is dried and is not able to be used to produce crops. Farmer owners compete to keep their land. Whoever loose must give up their land and use it as a preserve.

ericaw-kut

5/04/2017 - 01:24 p.m.

I agree and disagree with you. I agree with you because Europe doesn't have limited wild life places. On the other hand I would want to make sure the animals and wild life are protected.

nathanm14-ste

4/07/2017 - 01:18 p.m.

This is a great idea. We already do this for exotic African animals so why not the other ones as well? I just don't understand how it would work with natural predators such as mountain lions and bears and things of that nature. Unless they don't have those in Portugal i'm not sure.

hayleel-ste

4/07/2017 - 01:45 p.m.

This would be an awesome idea, if we did this for all animals other than just for the exotic ones then we know they would all be in a safe care.

holdenj-orv

4/10/2017 - 11:27 a.m.

Having a African Landscape in Spain?!?! That's Crazy!!! In Other Spanish News, Spanish Golfer Sergio Garcia wins the Masters.

aidenm1-bur

4/10/2017 - 12:52 p.m.

Europe has limited wild place probably because of the giant population Europe has. This would not effect me likely.

numaira-bur

4/10/2017 - 12:53 p.m.

Why Europe have limited spots of wild life is because they have many cities in that area. Europe also has so many roads so they can't have so much wildlife around the areas that have all theses people around driving there. I've seen many videos of Europe and i barley saw any wildlife!

robbiet-har

4/12/2017 - 08:24 p.m.

Europe has limited wild places because when the agricultural revolution happened, all of the wild landscapes turned into farmland. The organization is,"Taking over large tracts of farmland that isn't well suited for modern factory farming." This proves that the farmers had to go to unsuitable farmland to farm even though it was a thriving natural ecosystem before. In the end, Europe had lots of wild landscapes before the agricultural revolution. When this happened the farmers had to go to even the most unsuitable farming lands where there was a wild landscape.

dannyh-har

4/13/2017 - 02:14 p.m.

Europe has limited wild places because they had lots of farmland all over Europe and the soil is becoming very rock, not able to grow many plants herbivores need to eat to survive like grasses. This is why they made Faia Brava so that they could have the soil fertilized from the animals slowly gaining its nutrients back.

melissag-bur

4/17/2017 - 07:46 p.m.

Europe has limited wild places because Europe has lots of farm lands witch is becoming dry.I would love to go to Europe and visit.